Tour de Vegetable

Earlier this season, Zabriskie said his energy levels were down and he felt weak. He wasn’t sure if it was a result of the diet or a recent bug he was getting over. He got in touch with Brazier, who advised him to take vegan protein shakes made from hemp seeds, flax seeds and brown rice protein, among other ingredients. (Brazier invented the shake and markets them under the “Vega” brand). Zabriskie says he now drinks three or four of the shakes throughout the day.

Zabriskie also consulted with a professional motorcycle racer, Ben Bostrom, also a vegan, who advised Zabriskie to include small amounts of fish a couple of times a week because of the incredibly large load he puts on his body during training. “He told me, don’t get too hung up on the word ‘vegan’,” says Zabriskie. The fish, Zabriskie says, helps his body absorb certain vitamins and iron.

During the Tour of California in May, Zabriskie won the time trial. Last month, he blew away the competition at the U.S. national time trial championships in Greenville, S.C. That victory, he says, reinforced his decision to change his diet. “I knew I had done everything right,” he says.